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Serving Over 20,000 US Medical Transcriptionists

Regarding line-to-minute ratio (sm)

Posted By: MT on 2008-03-23
In Reply to: Not fishy. Just a transcriptionist who has worked for - anonMT

this is even difficult to calculate.  Why?  Because some physicians speak faster than others.  On an ER account, I can get 2,000+ lines from 80 minutes of dictation.  Transcribing, we'll say consults or discharge summaries, I may only get 1,200 lines from 80 minutes of dictation.  There are so many variables.


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Compare per minute with per line (sm)
I work for Scribes/Nightingale and I was told that per minute divided by 10 = per line rate. Any thoughts as to the accuracy of this comparison?
My apologies! Not line ... MINUTE!
We paid $3.50 per dictated minute for JLG to do the work. We paid our ICs $1.50 per dictated minute for a 2500+ minutes/month contract.

Whew!!

if you are say $1.60 minute that does equate to about 16cents per line
which is really good at today's rates
RIPPED OFF AGAIN: line count per dictated minute

Was hired at 16 cpl per 65 character line for a rad acct in Cali.  My check were meniscule and so I bought her line counting software and called her on my pay.  She said she was paying me 16 cents per minute of dictation which was a complete switchover.  You see these were reports with a lot of pasting and then adding different values.  The only dictated minutes were the clinical history, pre and postop diagnosis and some values in the pasted normals. 


She says the average dictated minute is transcribed in 1.5-2 minutes, HUH, where does she come from, it is more like 1 min of dictation is transcribed in 3-6 minutes, right???


Making 3 cents a line and loving every minute of it - LOL
nm
We could check our line counts up-to-the-minute with CTRL I inhouse n/m
b
do you find being paid per the minute pays better than per line pay rate?

Thank you so much for your help!


ratio

80% cons, 20% pros.


 


3:1 ratio nm
x
What is the ratio of C-phone to internet

nm


60 min of dictation could equate to 1:1 ratio if (sm)
your fingers are on fire and you've had tons of experience. IMO, line equation is hard to determine because not all dictators speak at the same speed.
ratio minutes:hours of typing
The top speed we have observed was a type-up three times as long as the recording being transcribed. This record was achieved under the following conditions: a very rapid typing speed of over 250 strokes per minutes using the ten-finger system, USB footswitch support, a good quality recording with clear sound, simple transcription rules.
On average the transcription duration for a text with simple transcriptions rules is around five or ten times the length of the recording.

How can I transcribe as quickly as possible?
Typing up verbal data is a longwinded process. You will usually require between five and ten times the amount of time that the recording lasts.

You can speed up the process by up to 30% by using a footswitch. The slower your typing speed, the more the footswitch can help. Even if you type very efficiently (with a typing speed of over 220 strokes per minute) and have until now always used key combinations to operate your transcription software, a footswitch can still make the transcription process 10-20% quicker.

Do take breaks. This may sound trivial, but it is not possible to transcribe for eight hours at a time without requiring medical assistance! We recommend one five to ten minute break per one hour of computer work, which is a recognized standard. It is extremely taxing to transcribe for more than six hours a day.


Can anyone comment on the software that Chronicle in Calif. uses and the ESL ratio? nm
s
1.70 regular minute, 2.25 stat per minute. sm
I do all cardiology.
A line is a line is a line. Doesn't matter if we are talking about radiology or acute care.

1600 is not a fair minimum requirement.  Sure you can achieve 1600, it shouldn't be the required minimum.


Means a line is a line is a line, even if it only has one word on the line
it is considered a line. 
per minute

I get paid per minute of dictation.  $1.00 to 1.35 per minute.  100-120 minutes in an 8 hour shift is average or 16-20 minutes of dictation per hour.


pay by the minute
I also used to work this way. I worked in house by the hour and we had a quota of dictated minutes we were supposed to meet. Then we started doing it at home and were compensated by the minute. It was awesome! Unfortunately they went with voice recognition and it came to a tragic end. I still miss it. I get paid by the line now and make probably a third less at least than back then. So very sad. Anyone have any idea if this company is hiring for radiology and what they pay per minute? TIA.
minute nor
too heated.
If pay comes out to 1.00, or less per minute is very low...sm
1.25 and up would be good pay per minute... and 200 per day if quite a bit to get through on an average. Good luck!
Pay per minute...
I work for a hospital that pays us per minute of dictation.  It is the entire dictation, whether the doc is sitting thinking, talking to someone else in the room or whatever, a 14 minute report is billed as a 14 minute report.  The pay scale I make is $1.30 per minute after 450 minutes, under 450 minutes $1.25 per minute.  I am sure the hospital itself charges more than that per minute, so I guess it would depend on whether you have your own account or are considering working for a hospital or other company. 
Pay per minute...
It is absolutely more lucrative than by the line for me anyway. I almost went bankrupt working for 8 cpl.
More like $1.00 - to 1.25 per minute
Keep in mind the 3 x rule: For every minute of dictation, it takes roughly 3 minutes to transcribe. So if you want to earn $20/hr (example) you have to charge $1.00 per minute. If you factor in even 5 minutes and hour for taxes/interruption/breaks etc., you need to bump it to $1.25 to clear $20/hr.
It says pay is 0.85 per minute.
Seems kind of low to me.
By the minute vs. cpl.......
I was at a meeting the other day where 2 docs were discussing paying their MTs by the minute versus by the line.  It was the first I, personally, had heard of such a thing.  The more I thought about it, the more appealing it sounded to me to be paid by the minute, particularly after I had to listen to a resident literally eat their way through a 37 minute dictation, which ultimately yielded me only about 62 lines.  I was furious!  I would have at least been paid for my time on that report had I been paid by the minute to transcribe it.  I am sure it all balances out in the end, whether one is paid by the line or the minute, considering some docs fly through their dictation without even taking a breath or bothering to enunciate or structure an intelligent sentence.  I would love to hear from any MTs who are, in fact, being paid by the minute.
Pay per minute

I would appreciate information from anyone who is compensated per minute of dictation.  Thank you.


$1.00 per minute
I have worked like this before. The operative reports you get will be between 0.9 to 2.0 minutes and there will be 30-40 lines for one report. You will go broke.
minute pay
I once worked for a company that paid by the dictated minute and I really liked it. Seemed like a good way to pay. The company had a pay scale so that the more minutes you typed per week, the more per minute you got. The bottom line, of course, is how much will we be paid per line or per minute.
That's too low for per-minute pay.
Think about this: A 3-minute report, say you get 1-1/2 to 2 pages. They would pay you $3. There could be 50-80 lines, which at 8 cpl would be $4 to $6.40. A dollar a dictated minute is much too low.
Not at $1/minute.
x
by the minute...
i do legal by the minute and it generally takes 2 to 3 times the amount of time.  So if you get an hour of dictation, it's probably going to take you 2 1/2 to 3 hours to do it, depending on the dictator and sound quality.  Could be more, but not usually less than double the time... hope this helps!
per minute pay
Try and figure it out this way....60 minutes of dictation will take apx 3-4 hours typing...so hopefully that will help figure out per hour.
That is low 1.00/minute is even low..
which would be 60.00 for an hour of dictation..
Hey wait a minute....
This all originally started way down below with a positive post about Transcend in answer to a question about the company.  Then, the naysayers hop on and start blah blah blahing all over the place.  So, I believe the trouble started at your door.
Pay by dictated minute.
What is a reasonable pay for dictated minute?  What is reasonable to expect to be transcribed minutes of dictation in 8-hour shift?  Anyone know?
Okay, wait a minute
Well, you know, now that I check out my first apology, I see I didnt apologize before to you, just JMO.  I thought I had apologized to both of you.  So, I am also sorry if I said anything that hurt your feelings.  And thank you for  your apology also. 
Now wait a minute...
I am management remember?   not an MT!
Radiology per minute

I get paid per minute and was wondering if anyone could tell me some companies that pay by the dictated minute for radiology and have benefits. I am happy with the amount of money I am making and the company but would really like a job with benefits.


Thanks


I'd hire you in a NY minute. nm
nm
What is the going rate per minute?

I have no idea what to even charge!  Can someone help?  Thanks!!!!!!!!


Per minute rate
What is the pay range for per minute of transcription? I see more and more people are wanting to pay by the minute instead of the line. Thanks.
Maybe they meant PER MINUTE?
Otherwise - ?????
Hang on a minute...

I'd like to address something that's really bothering me as I see it expressed so frequently -- It's what I call THE GRATITUDE TRICK.


First, I am not trying to find fault with what you wrote.  You sound like a fabulous mom and a very dedicated MT.  I really admire you for the sacrifices you've made to accomplish what you have -- and that goes for everyone out there in the MT world who has done the same.  I mean this sincerely.  I am amazed at what some of you have managed to do and how you continue the struggle now.  Hats off to you all!!! 


But I have to question why do MTs have to make such sacrifices in the first place???  It sounds to me like this has been the case for many years now.  If we are the professionals we claim to be, we deserve the same standard of living that any other professional gets to have who works out of their home.  The perks go across the board for everyone who works from home, no matter what profession--gas savings, wardrobe, etc.  We are no different.  This aspect of what our job is worth income-wise is only a small part of the equation.  The difference for us is that we are not fairly compensated for our work as other professionals are for theirs.  THAT is what sets us apart, not the perks.  


I think this is a way the services have used to keep us in submission for years, and it's dirty playing.  I do not feel grateful to my employer to be able to work from home.  My gratitude goes to God for the technology that allows me to do this.  Heck, I'm saving them money in overhead from working from home, buying and maintaining my own equipment and reference materials, paying my own Internet service fee, etc.  No, THEY are making money OFF OF US.  Yes, businesses do that.  They have to earn a profit.  But it is wrong for them to tell us pretty much to go away and be quiet and count our blessings because they are so kind as to let us work from home, thus making us feel that we should be ashamed for wanting to be paid more.  This is nothing but a mind game.  They are using this way of responding to us to shut us up and we're falling for it.  Next, it will be but at least we hired you and didn't send the work to India!  Little by little we are being demeaned by them as they reduce benefits, demand more in production, etc. all the while telling us how lucky we are to be able to work from home and we're falling for it. 


If our profession (and I keep using the word profession because that is what it is) goes down the drain because of technology, etc. then we can't control that.  But let's not help it along by buying into a mindset that says we're not valuable.   Anyone who has the knowledge and skills to do this job well should see their worth reflected in their paychecks, bottom line.  All the other stuff is just icing on the the cake.  


I think we as a body of professionals and as individuals need to have a much greater sense of self-respect, self-worth to begin with.  We are not the cast-offs of the working world!  If you can do this job well, you are no idiot.  And all of us know, this is anything but an easy job.   Many of you have invested most if not all of your working lives doing transcription.  Companies should be grateful to YOU for working for them.  A qualified MT only increases the company's image. 


Now how to become fairly compensated is a whole 'nother can of worms given what we are up against today.  But I think we need to start valuing ourselves more before we expect to be valued by those for whom we work.  This gratitude to our employer trick they use on us has got to be exposed for the dirty trick that it is and it needs to go!! 


I think a lot of our frustration with this profession comes from such mind games.  If you can keep your employees confused, if you can keep them from feeling they have no right to complain, you've got it made as an employer.  They're under your control.  But in the end it weakens employee morale which results in frequent employee turnover which results in loss of production while new people learn the accounts, etc. so it really backfires on them and is a stupid (to put it nicely) way to run a business.   You can run it right into the ground this way.


Even the benefits packages are somewhat of a joke if you can't afford the insurance.  I'm sure the companies have ways to write off those expenses to their own benefit.  That's another trick they use on us.  My dental insurance won't pay the rent.  Pay me a decent enough salary and I'll get my own dental insurance!


If we have any hope of turning our situation around, we need to be able to see the tactics that are being used against us.  Just trying to point out some red flags here as I see them. 


 


I saw it on the *other board* just a minute ago.nm
nm
Loving every minute of it.

Been there for almost a year. Out of work only about 5 hours totally in that year. Doubled and tripled my income over my last job. Once I get my Expander to full workability, I should do even better.


I plan to retire from there in about 15 years.



Companies want your every minute for themselves.
x
Pay is by the minute of dictation.

There is a company on the Job Seekers board that states that the pay is by the minute of dictation.  I have never heard of this, has anyone else?


No, I have not regretted it for a minute (sm)
The only thing I can say I sort of miss is having the PTO, but the flexibility I now have makes up for that in the long run. As you say, with MQ I was working harder and my check kept getting smaller and smaller. After over a year of repeatedly requesting a raise and being ignored, then the July 1 changes including the last ASR pay cut, the QASAR debacle, and the cesspool, etc., I decided that, after 10 years, it was time to go. No regrets at all.
I am paid per minute
This is the first company I have worked for that pays that way. It seems fair enough, although that is largely dependent on the dictator! There are few I transcribe for and it takes me forever to do their reports, so at those times the per minute compensation isn't so fair, but it all averages out I suppose.
I have to vent for a minute sm

I have noticed many companies advertising for Independent Contractor positions yet dictate a certain schedule like a full-time employee, i.e. 1st shift Sun-Thurs, etc. 


Now,  I am aware they need to staff accordingly and have coverage, but come on....these companies do not truly know what IC status is all about.  


If they want you to work a straight 8 hour shift, Sun-Thurs. than hire as an employee and give benefits darn it.    The companies want their cake and eat it too.    No overhead with ICs, but dictate and demand certain schedules and pay squat for it. 


 


Ok, I'm done.....had to get that off my chest.  Feel better now!


pay per dictated minute?
Is $1.00 per dictated minute a good rate, and if so, what work types would you make the most money on?